74: I became the target of short selling

On the day the "nine revolutions soul returning grass Treasure Hunt Trust Fund" officially launched, outside the Qingyun Sect's mountain gate, there was a clamor of voices and spiritual light soared into the sky.

Wanbao Tower, as the exclusive underwriter for this issuance, set up a massive crystal light screen in front of the mountain gate.

On the light screen, complex terms and continuously scrolling subscription information formed an unprecedented spectacle in the Eastern Continent Cultivator world.

Countless figures who had previously only existed in legends now gathered here.

An old man with white hair reaching the ground, surrounded by an icy chill that froze the air, was followed by a young attendant. The tray in the attendant's hand did not hold Spirit Stones, but rather pearls, each sealed with lightning.

In the distance, the Saintess of the Hundred Flowers Palace arrived gracefully, escorted by a group of female Cultivators. Her beauty was unparalleled, but her eyes gleamed with a calculating light more shrewd than any merchant's.

Even a Great Sage of the Yao Race, standing ten feet tall, exhaled sulfurous fumes from his nostrils and directly threw a small mountain-like rare ore vein at the subscription point, drawing gasps of surprise.

They all became "Limited Partners" in this fund.

Qingyun Sect, a second-rate Sect that was on the verge of bankruptcy not long ago, now seemed to have become the financial center of the entire Eastern Continent.

Meanwhile, in the palace atop Qingyun Sect's main peak, Lu Yuan was looking down at all of this.

Before him, a light screen was also suspended, displaying not the outside world's clamor, but rather the colder, more realistic backend data.

Every powerful being who came to subscribe, in his eyes, transformed into pulsating code and fluctuating K-line charts.

["Investor: Old Ancestor Hanyao. Golden Core Great Perfection. Assets Invested: 3,600 'Sky Thunder Orbs'. Risk Rating: High. Potential Short-Selling Value: Medium."]

["Investor: Saintess Yunyao. Late Golden Core Stage. Assets Invested: Three pieces of core intelligence from the Hundred Flowers Palace. Risk Rating: Medium. Potential Cooperation Value: High."]

These powerhouses, whom he once had to look up to, scheme against, or even flee from in a hurry, were now all clearly priced pieces on the chessboard he had personally set up.

In the name of the Qingyun Sect Master, he established the rules of this game.

He divided the entire treasure-hiding area into hundreds of regions, bundling different exploration tasks into different "asset packages."

"Class A Asset Package: Main road exploration rights, low risk, low expected return."

"Class B Asset Package: Branch Secret Realm mining rights, requires Cultivators of specific attributes, medium risk, medium expected return."

...Investors could freely choose to subscribe, or form teams to jointly hold an asset package.

He was the sole dealer.

Just as this feast of capital reached its climax, the crowd outside the mountain gate suddenly stirred, parting automatically to create a path.

Cold, pure Devilish Qi quickly polluted the peaceful yet greedy atmosphere of the scene.

A figure, stepping with steady strides, slowly approached.

Lu Yuan's hand, holding a teacup, paused in mid-air for a moment.

He saw a familiar face.

Ye Chen.

However, the current Ye Chen was completely different from the dejected and unwilling youth he remembered, who had been stripped of his Opportunity.

He wore a black robe, his face was stern, and his eyes were sharp.

The pure Devilish Qi emanating from him was so dense it was almost tangible, and his cultivation had clearly reached the Late Golden Core Stage.

Behind him were two equally Devilish Qi-filled Dao Protectors.

"Guixu Demon Palace has come to subscribe."

Ye Chen's voice was not loud, but it clearly echoed throughout the entire valley.

He didn't look at anyone, walking directly to the crystal light screen and throwing out a black Jade Slip.

"Our Guixu Demon Palace is buying out the exclusive passage rights for the 'S-Class Asset Package'."

At these words, the entire audience was in an uproar.

The S-Class Asset Package was precisely the most dangerous, yet potentially fastest, dead-end path leading to the nine revolutions soul returning grass, as marked by Lu Yuan.

It was riddled with spatial rifts and ancient Restrictions, considered a treacherous route by everyone, and no one had shown interest in it.

Ye Chen, with his first move, aimed directly at the ultimate core.

After doing all this, he slowly looked up, his gaze piercing through thousands of feet to land on Lu Yuan in the palace atop the mountain peak.

From across the vast space, his lips moved slightly, and a sentence, transmitted through a secret technique, clearly entered Lu Yuan's ears.

"Lu Yuan, I'm back."

"This time, we're playing for high stakes."

Lu Yuan's expression remained unchanged; he put down his teacup, and the water's surface remained still.

In his mind, however, the "Sandbox Simulation" had already been activated.

However, the feedback he received made his pupils slightly contract.

Ye Chen's Karma line was enveloped by a vast, chaotic power filled with destruction and finality.

All simulations pointed to an impenetrable fog.

Just at this moment.

A cold, completely different System notification, unlike any before, exploded in Lu Yuan's mind without warning.

["New tradable asset online."]

["Asset: Put option on 'Lu Yuan's ultimate failure in this treasure hunt'."]

["Issuer: Ye Chen."]

["The Exchange has accepted and approved the issuance application for this contract."]

Lu Yuan stood up.

For the first time, in his own Exchange, he saw an asset named after himself.

He had become the target of a short sale.

Before he could recover from this shock, the golden card left by Auditor, which he had always treasured, suddenly felt warm.

A message from a higher dimension, devoid of any emotion, was directly imprinted into his Divine Soul.

"['Heavenly Talents Qualifier'] Phase One assessment task activated."

"Task Objective: In this 'nine revolutions soul returning grass' gamble, defeat or annex all marked 'candidates'."

"Your first opponent, codenamed 'Demon Son'."

"Name: Ye Chen."